An Unforgettable Love by Lorana Hoopes

Author:Lorana Hoopes [Hoopes, Lorana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lorana Hoopes

CHAPTER 14

Carl

Carl smiled over at Elizabeth as they neared the town. Excitement radiated off her like rays of sunshine and had since she’d woken up this morning. She had carefully folded all her dresses into a bag to take with them just in case. He just hoped there would be a place to rent because he would hate to crush her spirits.

When they entered the town, he led the wagon up and down the main road first, searching for any empty buildings or signs, but there were none. That left only two options - the bank or Mr. Brown.

Because Mr. Brown owned the general store, he had his finger on everything that happened in town. If there was a space available, he would know about it, so Carl pulled the wagon up in front of the general store and jumped down.

“What are we doing here?” Elizabeth asked. “Did you need more items from the store?”

He smiled as he held out his hand. “No, but Mr. Brown is a great resource in this town. He’ll be able to tell us if there’s any space for rent.”

“Oh, okay.” Though she didn’t sound entirely convinced, Elizabeth followed him into the store.

The smell of spices and dry goods filled his nose, and then the realization that Mr. Brown was not behind the counter like usual. He scanned the store, which was rather empty at this time of day, and spotted the older man in the back, talking to none other than Emma Cook.

“Good morning, Elizabeth, Mr. Baxter. You two have perfect timing,” Emma said with a wide smile when she saw them.

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well, I was just telling Mr. Brown here about your dresses and how much the women of the town would enjoy them.”

“And I was just telling Mrs. Cook that I’ve been looking to expand into a small space upstairs but hadn’t done it yet because I had nothing to fill the extra space up there with. I’ll need to see your dresses, of course, but if they are as good as Mrs. Cook says, I’d like to discuss sharing the space with you.”

“Really?” Elizabeth’s voice came out in a squeak, and Carl couldn’t help but grin.

“Really. I know that you don’t have start-up money at the moment, but once you get settled, I’ll expect rent payment and a cut of the profits, of course, but I think this could be good for both of us.”

Beside him, Carl felt Elizabeth stiffen. Surely, she hadn’t expected to keep all the profits, had she?

“This could be a great first step,” he said softly to her.

She nodded, reached into her bag and unrolled the bundle of carefully wrapped dresses and fabrics. Mr. Brown examined each piece in turn, his sharp eyes lingering on the fine stitching and intricate lace.

"These are quite lovely," he said at last. "I could see them selling very well if you are agreeable to the terms."

“That’s fantastic, Elizabeth,” Emma said, hugging her. “I knew it would work out, and I’m going to be your very first client.

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